A Brief History of the AMC Network

American Movie Classics began broadcasting on October 1st, 1984. At first it was a pay cable channel, but in 1987 it switched to basic cable. During the 80s and 90s AMC featured classic films from the 1950s and earlier in their unedited, commercial free formats. In the late 90s, programming began to shift its focus to movies from the 50s and 60s. 2002 saw a drastic format change for the AMC network. It changed to a generalized movie channel, showing films primarily from the 1970s and beyond. AMC also began showing advertisements in between and during their movies. The full name "American Movie Classics" has been downplayed due to the programming changes.

In 1993, AMC founded the Film Preservation Festival, a movie marathon highlighting movies never before aired and "lost" movies. From 1997 through 2008 AMC featured a week long marathon of horror movies called "Monsterfest." Also, every Friday night, AMC runs a horror film double feature called "Fear Friday." Monsterfest was replaced with the new and improved "Fearfest" in 2008. As we anticipate the premiere of Walking Dead it is interesting to note that AMC has already been highlighting the horror genre for almost two decades!

John Byrne

Vampires, Wizards, and Zombies! Oh My!

Vampires, Wizards, and Zombies!  Oh My!  In a world full of Halloween horror flicks, Wizarding shows and diehard Twilight fans, is there room for a cable TV show about another made-believe-being take-over apocalypse?

Like the Twilight saga, the new television show on AMC, The Walking Dead, began in print form.  The Walking Dead came about first as a monthly black and white comic book published by Image Comics.  It was created in 2003 by both writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (Moore has since been replaced by Charlie Adlard).

The images from the comic and the stills from the TV show do not strike me as entirely unique. 

Anyone has ever watched the hit TV series Heroes on ABC probably can imagine what the comic book images look like.  They strongly resemble Isaac Mendez’s paintings of the end of the world.  However, since Heroes came about three years after The Walking Dead, perhaps it would be more correct to say that Isaac Mendez’s paintings represent The Walking Dead comic book.

The stills already released for The Walking Dead seem very similar to the 2002 Blockbuster movie, 28 Days Later.  The characters always seem to be rushing to or from somewhere and the zombies are easily identifiable because of their mangled and bloody bodies.

In addition to the still images of the two shows representing each other, the story lines seem oddly familiar.

In 28 Days Later a main character, Jim, wakes from a coma in a hospital to find everything he thought he knew about his world to be gone and filled with zombies.  In The Walking Dead a main character, Rick Grimes, wakes up from a coma in the hospital to find the building and town overtaken by zombies.

In 28 Days Later, survivors band together on a journey to another city to find more survivors and to discover a cure, in the process battling the zombies and fighting for their lives.  In The Walking Dead, survivors band together, fight off the zombies and travel to new cities in search of the cure.

All in all, the two seem pretty similar.  But in a world that already seems full of made up beings, violence, crime, and horror flicks, is there room for a regularly programmed TV series about them?  Two recent TV Series’, Fox’s 24 and ABC’s Lost have shown that a plot really can be drug out in a series, literally for years (…well, as long as you don’t mind constant plot twists and other surprises).  The only way to find out for sure will be to tune in!

AMC has chosen the ultimate time slot to premier a zombie apocalypse:  Halloween Night at 10:00pm.  The show was first announced its intent to produce The Walking Dead after buying the rights in August 2010.  Filming began this past May.  As of now, six episodes have been made; hopefully more will be ordered after a successful premier.  

The Audience of The Walking Dead By Lindsay Bays

AMC is known for airing shows that appeal to an older audience. They tend to air shows that have diverse and original topics. From shows like Breaking Bad to Mad Men, they put on television shows that are high quality on cable network programming. Many of their shows, such as Mad Men win Emmy's and have the same quality as watching a show on HBO or Showtime. 

The new show premeiring on Halloween, The Walking Dead, I feel will be taylored to a specific audience. Zombie culture in general is usually an underground, cult following. From books to comics to TV shows about zombies the audience is very specific. I think that The Walking Dead series on AMC will draw in that specific crowd. I feel that the show will be successful because, as a zombie lover myself and chatting with others of the same interest, they have been waiting for something new for awhile now. The comic is also one of the biggest comics read in the zombie genre. Its a story that many zombie fans are farmiliar with and love. There has not been a high quality zombie show or film in awhile that zombie fans have been satisfied with, even George A. Romero has been slacking in making a good zombie film. His last zombie film, Survival of the Dead, just did not seem to have the high quality his last films did.

I have high hopes for the show due to the fact that all the zombie lovers out there are waiting for something new to watch. I predict that the show will be successful, maybe not on huge scale numbers, but has potential to develop a cult following and loyal fans.

Zombie Invasion Derailed by Emily Macke

Today in support of the new show The Walking Dead zombies flocked to major cities to showcase what will soon become a Sunday night showcase. But zombies in Washington D.C. had more to moan about than just their decrepit bodies and their hunger for brains. In preparation for the world wide zombie walk AMC and Fox International Channels (FIC) informed the local authorities of all major cities that they planned to attack. They let them know exactly where they were planning to walk and what turnout they expected for each city.

But the zombies were no match for the US Park Police. AMC warned the D.C. Police but when zombies attempted to enter the park containing the Lincoln Memorial they had to turn back around. What AMC and FIC didn't know was that any event in Washington D.C. not only needs a permit from the local police but also from the National Park Services group.

But their walk for brains was not cut short, a plan B lead them back down a different path, arriving and congregating in front of the American Pharmacists Association.

Video of the Washington, D.C. zombies can be found on the Washington Post website.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/10/26/VI2010102603146.html

Cincinnati Safe from Zombie Attacks by Emily Macke

This Tuesday, October 26th, AMC and Fox International Channels plan to stage the largest Zombie attack the world has ever seen. Starting in Taipei and Hong Kong and then spreading across the globe, AMC and FIC have recruited zombies to attack. At daybreak the infection will begin, aiming for the daily commute time period. Twenty six major cities across the world will be "infected" tomorrow. But not just anyone can dress like a zombie. There are strict rules they must follow, especially when it comes to makeup. All zombies must have makeup following the style of the show's head makeup designer Greg Nicotero. The "infection" is the largest zombie stunt aimed at promoting the new show The Walking Dead just a week before it's international premiere. But in true Hollywood fashion the infected zones tomorrow will conclude in Los Angeles with the LA premiere.


Fortunately for Cincinnatians there will not be a zombie outbreak at Fountain Square. CIties like London, Washington D.C., and Athens are being targeted specifically for their landmarks. Zombies will be concentrated around Big Ben, the Washington Memorial, and even the Acropolis (how appropriate). For a complete list of infected cities please take a look at the official press release from AMC and FIC.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/10/25/amcs-drama-series-the-walking-dead-strikes-major-cities-worldwide-with-zombie-invasion/69527

"The Walking Dead" Walk onto Your IPod by Emily Macke

Now that the new series The Walking Dead is getting widespread attention there's a higher demand for the original comic books. Enough demand to even warrant a new app to be developed. The app itself has a precursor, Comics, developed by comiXology. Their app allows for comic book readers to download digital copies of their favorite comics, much like an electronic book reader would. Most issues cost between $1.99 and $2.99 depending on the comic and its popularity. One goal of this new app is to make the comics more affordable. The Walking Dead comics in paper back form cost $8.99. Robert Kirkman, writer of the comic book series sees this new app as a way to reach even more people with his story. Working with comiXology they attempt to make the comic book series more available to a widespread mix of generations.

The new Walking Dead app can be found on comiXology.com and through the iTunes store.

What is the Walking Dead? Emily Macke

This year AMC, most famous for their Emmy award winning show Mad Men, is set to release it’s own take on the ever popular theme of zombies.  Prior to their Halloween premiere, post-apocalyptic zombie themed television shows have flamed up and burnt out faster than a candle in the wind.  Shows like the UK’s ALIVE and non affiliated Lifeless have small followings at best.  But with the backing of AMC and Director Frank Darabont, The Walking Dead, is sure to walk right to the top of everyone’s list of favorites.  Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, has worked closely with writer Robert Kirkman, the creator of the comic book series The Walking Dead.  Originally, the comic book was released in 2003 by Image Comics.

Until the Halloween release of The Walking Dead the most similar show on television is Dead Set centered entirely on a post zombie apocalypse.  But despite a similar setting, Dead Set is remarkably different from The Walking Dead.  The BBC Network’s Dead Set entailed the fictional trials of Big Brother characters trapped inside the Big Brother house while zombies flourish and feast outside.  This show was meant to appeal to a younger demographic; if it were shown in the United States it would more than likely premiere on MTV or VH1.  While this tends to be the demographic that zombies appeal to, The Walking Dead seems to be attempting to appeal to a completely different demographic.

With it’s home on the AMC Network The Walking Dead seems to have set its sights on an older demographic, one that you might find watching Mad Men.  The production value alone seems to lend itself to a more mature age group, an age group that tends to be more loyal with its television habits.

In the past zombie shows have been aimed at a younger crowd.  Whether or not The Walking Dead’s choice of targeted demographic will pay off will soon be determined.

The Zombie, By John Byrne

Zombies trace their roots back to African Voodoo traditions.  In these beliefs, a dead body was turned zombie by a ritual performed by a witch doctor, and was under his control.  In more modern interpretations, zombies are turned by a epidemic, and do not have to be dead beforehand.  This brings to life the idea of a "zombie apocalypse," where the zombie infestation reaches such high proportions that society as a whole almost completely breaks down.  "The Walking Dead" is another chapter in the modern zombie story.